I never ask readers for money for myself, as I have all that I need. But there are others who need it, and some of those others are cats.  So this is an appeal for you to kick in a few bucks (or pounds, if you’re a Brit) to a charity of which I am a patron, Feline Friends London. (Facebook site here.)  It’s been going six years and is run by the estimable Barbara Read, who runs a staff of all volunteers who rescue London felines. And their policy is never to euthanize cats so long as they are not terminally ill and suffering.

My cap is out because lately I’ve gotten some lovely emails from readers thanking me for this site and saying that it’s an integral part of their day. I thought, “Well, what if every subscriber (there are 60,000 of them) kicked in a dollar or three towards a cat-rescue agency that uses all the dosh for rescue, and whose helpers do it out of love? If every subscriber gave just 1 pound, that would be 60,000 pounds (nearly $80,000), and think how many cats that could rescue!”  In other words, if you coughed up just $1 or $5 or whatever as a thank you to this site, it wouldn’t impoverish you but the total amount of money would be substantial.

Before I give you the donation page, I asked Barbara to tell me a bit about her organization. You can read about it on their webpage (links above), but here’s a more personal view:

A bit about us and myself. I began rescuing cats in 2008 after I adopted my late cat, Shola, then aged 12/13, from a friend, making a split second decision to take her on when my friend was going to return her to the shelter, where she had adopted her 9 years earlier. I have been an animal lover since a toddler but Shola made me keenly aware of the vulnerability of cats and how safe and protected she was compared to cats out on the street. She passed away aged 22/23, in December 2017 and in a very real sense changed my life – being indirectly responsible for every cat Feline Friends and myself have helped.

I began rescue work locally where I live in Stoke Newington and then across the borough of Hackney, organising and taking part in animal welfare events. I became Hackney Council’s volunteer Cat Protection Officer in 2013, and am still the only one in the UK attached to a local authority. I won the Council the RSPCA’s Innovators Award for local authorities in 2014 for my work helping the borough’s cats.

I set up Feline Friends in July 2013 but then put it on the back burner while I ran Cats Protection Central London branch for a couple of years. This was then closed down as CP criticised me for never bring able to say ‘no’ to cats needing help and because I wanted to do things my way and not theirs. I therefore resurrected Feline Friends in spring 2016 and we have become the most successful of the smaller cat rescue organisations, helping cats right across the London area. At the moment we are entirely volunteer-run and have no paid staff. We are one of Battersea Dogs and Cats Homes Animal Partners, and they recently awarded us funding to run a project “Trap, Neuter, Nourish and Sustain: Safeguarding London’s Cats”.

We are a ‘no kill’ rescue and only approve euthanasia on the grounds of quality of life when a cat is dying and their suffering cannot be relieved. We work on a foster basis and take in older cats, who need end of life care, cats with chronic conditions and those with behaviour problems, as well as strays and unwanted pets. We have successfully worked with aggressive cats who have learned to trust and overcome their issues while in our foster care. We also neuter and re-home feral and semi-feral cats to sanctuaries and rural locations, where they will be cared for.

Now for a personal story: readers Laurie and Gethyn recently adopted a pair of black siblings from Feline Friends after the sad demise of their coffee-drinking cat Theo. Here are the moggies they took and a bit about their story:

We were searching online for adult black rescue cats to adopt. When we found Feline Friends, we were interested in Maxie and Minnie, who were the mummy and daddy. They are a year and a half old.   Feline Friends  conducted a home visit, and as we live in a two bedroom flat, they suggested that we adopt the kittens, who — at seven months old — would be greater able to adjust to living indoors. Mummy and Daddy require access to a garden.  Thus did Alcestis Jerry and Octavia Sadie relocate to Wimbledon Village!

Now for the touch: if you like this website or read it or benefit in any way from it, I’m asking you to make a donation to Feline Friends. You can do it by clicking on this link or on the screenshot below, which gives a form that, when you fill it in, takes you to the donation page. You donate using your credit card, choosing a specified amount or donating whatever you want. Donations start at £10 ($13.20), but you can donate as little as you want. Even one pound would help. We have so many readers and subscribers that if each of you found it in your heart to give a few pounds, it would be an enormous windfall for this organization. Please consider it.

As a bonus, if you make a donation of any size, just put your name below (no need to enumerate the donation). I’ll have a Secret Judge choose two winners, and each will get an autographed copy of the book of their choice: WEIT or Faith Versus Fact. I will sign it and also draw the cat of your choice in it.

Somebody told me that I should remind readers in case they miss this post, so forgive me if I put up a short reminder every few days for a while. And thank you for any donation you make.